Car roof



June 14, 1938. c. D. BoNsALL 2,120,350

CAR ROOF Filed Jan. 17, 1938 (MQ @om m/Q COW., vwv

Patented June 14, 1938 PAINT FFICE CAR Charles David .Eonsalt ROOF Pittsburgh, Pa., assigner to Standard Railway Equipment lVIanufac'tur=` ing Company. New Kensington, Pa., a corporatien of Delaware Application `Tianuary 17, 1938, Serial No. 185,259

6 Claims.

The subject matter hereof is in part divided out of my copending application for patent for improvement in Car roofs, Serial No. 65.769,' led February 26, 1936.

This invention relates principally to car roofs of the type wherein the roof sheets extend from side plate to side plate of the car and are connected along their adjacent margins by riveted upstanding seams that have reinforcing plates or carline members embodied therein and are covered by weatherproong seam caps. The invention has for its principal objects to dispense with the caps and rivets heretofore required for the seams and thus reduce the weight of the roof and the cost thereof, to increase the weatherprooiing qualities of the seams, to render the marginal portions of the sheets fully effective in taking care of stresses and to provide supports for the running board. The invention consists in making the carlines in sections having cooperating portions disposed between adjacent roof sheet flanges and in securing said flanges and said portions together by welds that extend along the upper edges thereof; it also consists in providing the carlines with portions adapted to constitute supports for the running board; and-it also consists in the parts and combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. l is a plan view of a portion of a car roof embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through one-half of the roof on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical longitudinal section through the roof at the ridge on the line 3 3 in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a similar section taken intermediate between the ridge and eaves on the line 4 4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section at the eaves on the line 5 5 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line 6 6 in Fig. 5.

In the accompanying drawing, my invention is illustrated in connection with a metal car roof comprising carlines A of inverted channel-shaped section that have outstanding base flanges I and extend from side plate B to side plate B of the car where their tops 2. are curved downwardly and merge into depending end flanges 3 that constitute continuations of said base anges and are riveted or otherwise secured to the Vertical (Cl. 10S-5.4)

faces of said side plates. Metal roof sheets yC extend from side plate to side plate of the car with their side margins resting on the flat tops of adjacent carlines and with a space intervening between said margins. The roof sheets are provided at their eaves ends with depending flanges i that are riveted or otherwise rigidly secured to the outer faces of the side plates; and along their side margins, said sheets are provided with upstanding seam anges gti that are turned down over the side plates with the downturned eaves flanges i of said sheets. Conformably to the so-called neutral axis type of roof, the roof sheets are offset downwardly between carlines to form a roof consisting of alternating flat-topped ribs D and flat-bottomed channels E that extend from side plate to side plate of the car where the tops of the ribs merge into the plane of the bottoms of the channels.

Extending from end to end of each carline along the top 2 thereof midway of sides thereof is anupstanding reinforcing and stiffening rib 6 that is disposed between and in contact with the upstanding side anges of the portions of the sheets supported on said carline. The seam reinforcing rib 6 of the carline is preferably disposed j with its upper edge substantially flush with the tops of the sheet flanges on opposite sides thereof and said flanges are rigidly secured to said rib by means of a continuous weld 2l, preferably of added metal, that covers the flush edges of said anges and said rib, thus rigidly securing said flanges and said rib together and sealing the joints therebetween. The weld 2'! is preferably made by means of an electric weld rod of high tensile metal, such as steel, whereby the welding serves to form not only a continuous tight joint, but also contributes to the strength of the structure. If desired, the added metal may be in excess of the amount required to make the weld so as to substantially increase. the strength of the roof.

The supports I@ for the running board I2 preferably comprise metal plates having lateral top flanges Illa upon which the running board rests and is removably secured thereto. The lower edges of the running board supports rest upon the tops of the reinforcing ribs 6 of the respective carlines and are preferably secured thereto by means of the welds 2l that secure adjacent sheet flanges to said ribs.

As shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5,each carline comprises duplicate side sections 24 that are provided along their abutting edges with upstanding flanges 25 that cooperate to form the stiffening rib 6 along the top of the carline. The sheet anges 26 and the carline anges 25 are al1 secured together by the Weld 211 that covers the flush edges thereof.

By the arrangement described, the flanged rib forming portions of the carline sections are united together and to the sheet flanges to form rigid, Weather-proof seam constructions that greatly increase the strength of the roof without the use of seam caps 4or rivets; and the making of the ribbed carlines in sections simplifies the manufacture thereof and makes it easy to give them the shape desired.

What I claim is:

1. A car roof comprising carlines, roof sheets supported at their side margins on said carlines, said margins being provided With upstanding flanges, said carlines comprising sections that extend fromend to end thereof and are provided along their adjacent margins with upstanding flanges that are disposed between the upstanding flanges of adjacent sheets, and welds on top of the assembled flanges for uniting them together.

2. A car roof comprising carlines having upstanding ribs along the tops thereof, roof sheets having upstanding flanges disposed on opposite sides of said ribs, said carlines comprising sections that extend from end to end thereof and are provided along their adjacent margins with upstanding flanges that cooperate to form said ribs, and welds for rigidly uniting the assembled flanges together.

3. A car roof comprising carlines having upstandin-g ribs extending along the tops thereof from end to end thereof, roof sheets having' upstanding flanges disposed on opposite sides of said ribs, said carlines comprising sections that extend from end to end thereof and are provided along their adjacent margins with upstanding anges that cooperate to form said ribs, and

welds on top of the assembled flanges for rigidly uniting them together and for covering the joints therebetween.

4. A car roof comprising carlines of inverted channel-shaped section having upstanding central longitudinal ribs along the tops thereof and outstanding base flanges, roof sheets having their side margins supported on said carlines and provided with upstanding flanges Whose upper edges terminate substantially at the level of the tops of said ribs, said carlines comprising sections that extend from end to end thereof and are provided along their adjacent margins with upstanding flanges that cooperate to form said ribs, and Welds uniting the upper edges of said roof sheet flanges to said ribs.

5. A car roof comprising carlines, roof sheets supported at their side margins on said carlines, said margins being provided with upstanding flanges, said carlines comprising sections that extend from end to end thereof and are provided along their adjacent margins with upstanding flanges that are disposed between the upstanding anges of adjacent sheets, running board supports rigid With said flanges, and welds on top of the assembled flanges for uniting them together.

6. A car roof comprising carlines, roof sheets supported at their side margins on said carlines, said margins being provided with upstanding flanges, said carlines comprising sections that vextend from end to end thereof and are provided along their adjacent margins with upstanding flanges that are disposed between the upstanding flanges of adjacent sheets, welds on top of the assembled flanges for uniting them together, and running board supports resting on the carline flanges at the ridge and rigidly united thereto by said welds.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL. 

